Clint Black, Trace Adkins playing Foxwoods

By John Adamian

Hartford Courant|

May 31, 2019 | 5:56 AM

Country stars Clint Black and Trace Adkins perform at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods on June 8. (Kevin Mingora / TMC)

If you want to dip into the work of country singer Clint Black, he’s helpfully divided his catalog into some categories to guide you through all the material: there are basically drinking songs, love songs and Christmas songs. And greatest hits, lots of them.

Black can sound a little like Merle Haggard, with a hint of wry humor behind his sun-baked stoicism. Black is from Texas. He comes by his cowboy hat honestly. (He was born in New Jersey, it’s true, but the influence didn’t stick.) Like Alan Jackson and George Strait, Black is something of a traditionalist pointing back to classic country, with twang and that special breaking yip to his voice.

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Black turned 57 this year, so he’s kind of still a kid compared to Willie. Black writes most of his own songs, which is unusual in the world of country. Black has a knack for breakup songs told by guys who don’t quite have a clue of what happened to them: “I wonder if the way we were was only in my head,” he sings on “Nothin’ But the Taillights.” It’s a story that a lot of people can relate to.

See Clint Black and fellow country star Trace Adkins at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods, 350 Trolley Line Blvd., Mashantucket, on June 8, at 8 p.m. $40 - $65. foxwoods.com.